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A 19th-century Ottoman tugh (left), and an 18th-century Ottoman alem for a flagpole (right)

An 'alam (Arabic: علَم, lit. 'flag') or alem (Turkish: alem) is a standard or flagpole in Islamic culture, typically topped by an ornate metal finial.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] The word 'alam is used generally to denote a banner but in the context of Islamic art it can refer to examples of the metal finials.^[2]^[5]^[6]^[7]

This type of flagpole is often used by Shi'a Muslims in religious processions or ceremonial functions, as well as by groups and states in Iran (e.g. the Safavids) and the Indian subcontinent.^[8]^[5]^[7]^[6]^[1]^[9]^[2] In Ottoman Turkish, the corresponding word alem means a military banner consisting of a tall pole (sap) with a silk flag or banner (sancak) topped by a metal finial (saifa). In modern Turkish, sancak can apply to the whole standard and not simply the fabric of the banner. The word alem came to be applied to the decoration at the top of the flagpole.^[10]

The word also came to be applied to the architectural device which caps a minaret, dome of a mosque or minber (pulpit).^{[citation needed]} It may incorporate an Islamic emblem of the crescent (with star), a tulip or other shape. The central Asian tugh with yak or horse hair (instead of a flag) can also be topped by an alem. Miniatures from the Seljuk era show gilded finials on top of tentpoles.

One or more metal protective cases or boxes (muhafazas) - often octagonal - containing a diminutive copy of the Qur'an were attached below the alem by a cord or chain.^[11]

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b Ekhtiar, Maryam D.; Soucek, Priscilla P.; Canby, Sheila R.; Haidar, Navina Najat, eds. (2011). Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 406 (see also 243). ISBN 978-1-58839-434-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kadoi, Yuka (2014). "Flags". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three. Brill. ISBN 9789004161658.
^ "Standard (Alem)". The Met. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
^ Panaite, Viorel (2019). Ottoman Law of War and Peace: The Ottoman Empire and Its Tribute-Payers from the North of the Danube. Second Revised Edition. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-41110-4.
^ ^a ^b "Standard ('Alam)". Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
^ ^a ^b "'Alam". The Walters Art Museum. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
^ ^a ^b "Processional Standard ('Alam)". The Met. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
^ Behrens-Abouseif, Doris; Vernoit, Stephen (2006). Islamic Art in the 19th Century: Tradition, Innovation, And Eclecticism. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-14442-2.
^ D’Souza, Diane (2014). "The Alam - A Symbol of Presence". Partners of Zaynab: A Gendered Perspective of Shia Muslim Faith. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-61117-378-9.
^ Coffey 2010, pp. 81, 109–10.
^ Coffey 2010, pp. 81–82.

Sources

Coffey, Heather (2010). "Between Amulet and Devotion: Islamic Miniature Books in the Lilly Library". In Gruber, Christiane J. (ed.). The Islamic Manuscript Tradition: Ten Centuries of Book Arts in Indiana University Collections. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253353771.